"You'll read about me someday." I was definitely dreaming then. With no evidence of that ever being possible, I clung to that preposterous vision and with the force of those dreams willed it and made it happen. Not because I needed to be famous, but because I needed a world that made me feel uninvited to be wrong, so I imagined myself free, I imagined myself loved, I imagined myself... as somebody." Finding Fish a memoir

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Inspiration for a great story can be found just about anywhere. We have all worked with interesting characters or attended school or church with them and if we try hard enough, a story can be developed with one person out of the various worlds in which we exist. There is a story everywhere.

Friday, August 24, 2012

One of the most difficult aspects of writing is deciding how to get started. Every writer has a different process, but what works for me is to start by listening to music that will put me in the mood of the writing. For a project that I worked on last year, there was a great deal of travel to France in the story. I surrounded myself with French music and it was a great inspiration for me.

Once I felt in the mood, I took my legal pad and pen and sat in the park to write my outline. I love being part of nature when I write. You have to find the spot that inspires you and being outside inspires me. Sometimes, I sit at the beach and listen to the waves. I can't take my laptop to the beach because of the sand and water, but I can always write the old fashioned way. It's a great way to start. When I write the outline, I start by included the main aspects of the story. The most important thing is getting the story out. You can add color to it during the rewrite.

Write at the same time every day. It's like exercise; you have to do it with consistency. Start with thirty minutes of writing per day, then add time as you can. Consider writing for two hours a day. I write for about five hours a day, but my mind is still working even when I am away from my desk. It stays with you once you are into the story.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

I have the story in my head and I want to get it out on paper. "Just tell the story," I tell myself, but there is virtue in allowing the story to simmer a bit before writing. Constantly, I am thinking of the next word or phrase in the story, but I have to allow the right words to come to me. So, sometimes, being patient and taking a break helps the right words to flow freely.

I've also noticed that changing my inspiration helps with the writing. For example, for a long time, I sat in the same park writing and it worked, but I had to change locations, find something new to look at while I'm day dreaming. There are times when I take a chair to the beach and I sit, watch the ocean waves and write. I change the music that's on my iPod or in my car. I might call an old friend who always makes me feel a certain way. I may go to a baseball field and watch the athletes play even if I don't know any of the players. I watch them because they love the game. That love and passion translates into inspiration for me.

Saturday, August 4, 2012

I've been working on a new project and as excited as I get coming up with great dialogue or creating an inspired scene, there are times, when I've been working too much and my brain is fried. That's when I know it's time to take a break. The thing about taking a break is that if you aren't careful, the break can last for days or weeks and then it's hard to get back to the project. So, what I do when I am taking a break is continue to be creative, but just not at writing. It's the perfect time to play a musical instrument, pick up a camera and take photos of the people you love (I did that yesterday), paint, draw, take a walk, listen to really great music that you haven't heard in a while, dance, organize your closet- anything that can keep your mind free from thinking too much while allowing you to continue to be creative. Some say knitting is a great way to come up with ideas. Today, I am still a little burned out on the writing, so I edited what I have written thus far and I am ready to get back to the writing in the morning. Inspiration is everywhere.